Middle East

Netanyahu Says Spoke With Trump, Vows to Protect Israel's Interests

This is Beirut 23/03 21:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Netanyahu Israel Iran USA Trump USIranWar

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that he spoke with Donald Trump, saying that the U.S. president believed U.S.-Israeli military gains in Iran could be converted into a negotiated agreement that protects Israel's interests. "President Trump believes there is a chance to leverage the tremendous achievements of the IDF and the ...

London Summons Iranian Ambassador Following Allegations of Spying

This is Beirut 23/03 20:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iran London USA Israel USIranWar

Britain's foreign ministry on Monday summoned Iran's ambassador to London, Seyed Ali Mousavi, criticizing what it called Tehran's "reckless and destabilizing actions" in the UK and overseas. "The summons follows the recent charging of two individuals, one Iranian national and one British-Iranian dual national, under the National Security Act, on ...

Ghalibaf: Iran's New Strongman Running War Effort

This is Beirut 23/03 20:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Middle East Tehran United States Washington

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker and a veteran of the Revolutionary Guards, has emerged as the highest-profile political figure in the Islamic republic after the killing of its leaders. A pillar of the Iranian establishment for some three decades and one of the Islamic republic's most prominent non-clerical figures, Ghalibaf, ...

Ship Traffic Down 95% in Strait of Hormuz

This is Beirut 23/03 19:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Europe European Union Middle East Tehran United Kingdom

Just a trickle of cargo ships and tankers—most of them Iranian—have made it through the Strait of Hormuz since Iranian forces effectively blocked the crucial trade route in the Middle East war. Here are facts and figures about vessels that have passed through the 167-kilometre (104-mile) long strait since the war broke out with US-Israeli ...

Strikes Continue as Israeli Ground Offensive Widens

This is Beirut 23/03 18:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel United Nations

Israeli strikes intensified throughout Lebanon on Monday, with attacks on key bridges linking areas north and south of the Litani River, a targeted killing in the Christian-majority city of Hazmieh east of Beirut, and incidents across UNIFIL positions in the south. Israeli troops moved into Aita al-Shaab in a ground offensive, while more than 18 ...

Washington and Tehran Disagree on the Status of Negotiations

This is Beirut 23/03 17:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Trump Iran USA Israel USIranWar

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Washington and “representatives” from Tehran had held “very good and productive conversations” over the past two days, and he had subsequently instructed the Department of Defense to postpone military strikes on Iranian power plants for five days—emphasizing that current ...

Smotrich Calls for Occupying Half of Lebanon as Israel Intensifies Infrastructure Strikes in the South

This is Beirut 23/03 17:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Iran USA War

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s call to occupy half of Lebanon, setting the Litani River as a new boundary, comes as Israel intensifies a systematic campaign targeting critical infrastructure in southern Lebanon, a strategy that is increasingly raising concerns over its military objectives and legal implications. The remarks, made ...

Trump to Postpone Strikes on Iran Power Plants After ‘Productive’ Talks

This is Beirut 23/03 15:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gulf Israel Middle East Tehran

Trump announced on Monday that the United States and Iran have engaged in what he described as “very good and productive” talks over the past two days, aimed at achieving a comprehensive resolution to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Citing the constructive tone of the discussions, Trump said he has ordered a temporary five-day ...

Iraqi PM Says Accelerating Withdrawal of Anti-Jihadist Coalition Forces

This is Beirut 23/03 12:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Middle East USA

Iraqi leader Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said he would accelerate the dismantling of a US-led international anti-jihadist coalition, in an interview with an Italian newspaper published Monday. The prime minister's comments come as the country finds itself unwillingly drawn into the conflict in the Middle East, which began with Israeli and US strikes ...

Weapons Smuggling to Hezbollah Persists Along Syria-Lebanon Border

This is Beirut 23/03 10:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Damascus Hezbollah

Attempts to smuggle weapons from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon have continued unabated since the group joined the war on March 2, despite repeated interdictions, according to a report by Alma Research Center. Recent incidents underscore the ongoing trend. On March 14, Syrian authorities seized five Konkurs anti-tank missiles reportedly destined ...

Iraqi Pro-Iran Group Extends Pause in U.S. Embassy Attacks

This is Beirut 23/03 06:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Middle East Washington Iraq

An Iran-backed armed group announced on Monday that it would continue its five-day pause on attacking the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. Since the start of the war in the Middle East, pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for near-daily attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted these ...

Iran Awaits Trump Threat to Blow up Power Plants

This is Beirut 23/03 02:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran Donald Trump United States

Iran on Monday faces a deadline by President Donald Trump to open up the crucial Strait of Hormuz or face a major US assault on power plants, as Israel warned of weeks more of war. Israel also gave the clearest signs yet it intends a ground campaign into Lebanon, destroying a key bridge as it vows to crush Hezbollah, the Shia Muslim movement ...